Okami: Sight of Black Sun
by Zerodius
Summary: Amaterasu and Waka, after cleansing the mortal world from evil, now head toward the Celestial Plain, Amaterasu's homeland. Unfortunately for them, this is only the beginning of a second, much tougher journey for evil, although crippled, still breathes...
1. Metallic Echo

**OFF:** Been forever since my last update...

Anyway, this is a new fanfic. This new one is based on the Okami setting and take place directly after the first game. It is a highly theoric follow-up to the first game and involve its own storyline and twists so note that if a sequel is released sometimes before Duke Nukem Forever is completed, one should note that this story will most probably contradict the canon sequel on nearly every level.

Note that the rating was set to "T" as a precaution for later chapters ; no violence in this chapter.

If you feel like leaving suggestions or making comments, feel free to do it via reviews ; I don't mind, really.

Enjoy!

* * *

**OKAMI**

**Sight of Black Sun**

* * *

Prologue

Metallic Echo

* * *

"Err... it's... a really big ball."

"You think it's worth somethin'?"

"Not sure. Just look like a piece of junk to me."

Darkness and pain but most importantly, mostly darkness, the pain almost unnoticeable.

"What a waste of time! Such a big seal only to unearth that stupid thing!"

Where is he? What happened? A feeling of intense suffering was rising quickly, clouding all thoughts and forming a solid wall in its own mind, preventing the memories from surfacing. All it could feel was pain.

"Hmph! So what do we do now?"

"No idea..."

Was he still alive? Could it truly be? Could he have survived? The memories begun to flow back. He could remember the white, burning figure. He could remember her. And slowly, the pain gave away to a new feeling...

Hatred... frustration... rage...

"Bah! Couldn't have made it here for nothin'! Think it might sell?"

"Who would buy such a pile of scrap anyway?"

He could remember it clearly. The swipes, the bites, the magical wind, the magical blades, the fire, the trees, the magic... the disgusting holy power. He could remember the red lights that shone everywhere around him, the alarms that echoed so loudly, his frame being thrown back and forth helplessly as every single system, one by one, malfunctioned...

"Bah! We won't find out 'til we piece it up and evaluate it, isn't it?"

"Bah! Since we're here..."

The sound of metal echoed and finally, after what could have been mere hours or entire years, the now conscious being saw rays of pale, weak light reach its tiny, crimson eyes.

As the two imps removed the broken, twisted metallic shell, they found the most surprising of all sights underneath. The cables had broken and twisted, the life-support tubes were disconnected and torn, the once smooth glass surface was now covered with cracks and holes, a large part of the precious liquid had spilled out via the gapping openings.

Yet, within the globe, a creature lies. It was a fleeting sight, the being lying down helplessly, its frame covered with countless scratches and its limbs obviously broken. Yet, the figure was still breathing. Normally, imps wouldn't care much for a stupid fish in a fishbowl... but this was no mere fish and the two knew it all too well. Only one fish had those black scales, those crimson eyes, those long fins, and was kept inside of a bionic fishbowl equipped with enough high-tech weaponry to utterly annihilate all of Nippon within a few hours.

"I-I cannot believe this..."

And as reality finally sunk in, the two creatures leaped on top of the broken mechanical orb, worry and amazement all at once overwhelming them.

"HAN' IN THERE, BOSS!" yelled the first imp.

"We'll get help, master! Don't worry! Everythin' will be alright!" added the second imp.

Within the broken glass orb, Yami floated, his body broken. His fearsome mechanical orb, his precious machine powered by the mighty Moon Tribe technology, was nothing but scrap metal, no thanks to the accursed Amaterasu, his hated arch-nemesis. But although he had been thoroughly humiliated, his tiny, grotesque form was still breathing and already, rage filled the mind of the small fish.

Nobody messes with Yami, the absolute ruler of all evil. Although Amaterasu might have sealed the power that protected his machine and then turned it into scrap metal, life was flowing within his veins regardless. Even if it was to be the last thing he would ever do, he would find a new vessel for his body, and rage, and soon enough, the stupid sun goddess would finally be crushed, like he did to all of the other stupid Celestials.

The day of reckoning is coming... but first...

Yami gasped loudly, his eyes widened and his mouth wide open, the evil fish finding itself unable to breathe.

"Don' worry boss! We'll carry you back to base!"

"Yeah! You'll be okay!"

The ruler of all darkness struggled, unable to breathe, and then, after many attempts, finally managed to say it despite his situation.

"PUT ME BACK IN THE TANK! I CAN'T BREATHE OUT OF WATER, IDIOTS!" he managed to yell, his face turning blue from the lack of precious oxygen.

The two imps stared at each others, utterly embarrassed, before putting back their master into the broken fishbowl. Yami sighed in relief as he felt the life-giving water go through his gills, precious oxygen filling his body anew.

"Sorry boss..."

Yami glared angrily at the two humanoid figures. "If my machine hadn't been wrecked by that stupid flea-bitten canine, you two would have tasted laser gatling gun by now. Now get me out of this dump! It is time to regroup and to plan our revenge against the sun goddess!"

The two creatures looked at each others for a moment, the both of them gulping loudly, before turning back to their leader, nodding very slowly in agreement. The two of them were doing their very best to keep their knees from knocking against each others but were failing in a rather spectacular way. Considering the pure, raw terror that they were experiencing, it was understandable.

"Yes boss!" they both answered, trying their darnest best not to let their fear change their tone.

Yami's eyes widened once more. "THE TANK THE TANK! CARRY THE TANK! DON'T PULL ME OUT OF IT!" he yelled, finding himself out of the water once more.

It had all begun with such an amusing, pitiful scene. A pair of dim-witted imps trying to bring a fish with them without killing it. Truly, the kind of funny story you'd expect to hear somewhere in a human bar...

... for you know what they say. Sometimes, the most horrifying of evils come in the smallest package available and Yami, much to the displeasure of all mortals and immortals this side of Nippon, epitomize this saying.

The legend is not yet over...

* * *

"HUT HUT HUT!"

The being blinked a few times.

"HUT HUT HUT!"

It didn't even pay attention.

"HUT HUT HUT!"

It remained impassible despite the constant yelling, despite the constant running.

"HUT HUT HUT!"

"HUT HUT HUT!"

"HUT HUT HUT HUT HUT HUT HUT!"

... but everyone, absolutely everyone, has a limit to their patience, even immortals. Slowly, the being stretched a bony finger and pointed at the being who had been running in circles around it.

"Stop it." its cold, emotionless voice echoed through the room and at long last, the yelling and the running stopped.

Constantly crouching and getting back up like some sort of crazy spring, the young man stared at the ancient being, a wide, silly smile on his face.

"B-b-but m-m-master I-I-I..." he never completed his sentence as the being's voice rose, interrupting it.

"I couldn't care less how you intended on ending this sentence, fool. You should conserve your energy. With lord Orochi and the other Dark Lords gone, you alone wield the power required to defend our home from the accursed who is, may I remind you, arriving in our territory very, very soon."

The man kept moving, not stopping even one second. "Y-y-you're not master Y-Y-Y-Yami! I-I-I don't have to l-l-l-listen to y-y-y-you!"

A loud, long, tired sigh echoed through the room, a sigh as cold and lifeless as the being who had produced it.

"Daikonneri, you know very well that with lord Yami's disappearance and the defeat of all of the other Dark Lords, I am the only one left who is worthy of inheriting the title of absolute ruler of all darkness. Until Yami returns, I am the regent of all darkness, the supreme leader of all those who stand in the shadows. You are thus entitled to obey me."

The man, Daikonneri, stared blankly at the regent as he kept crouching and getting up madly, unable to stay still. And then, after a long moment, his expression finally changed into a stupid smile.

"Ha! N-n-now I-I-I g-g-get it!" Daikonneri's face suddenly turned harsh, a faint crimson glow coming to his eyes. "Y-y-you're trying to t-t-take l-l-lord Yami's r-r-rightful p-p-place as a-a-absolute r-r-ruler of all d-d-d-d-d-DARKNESS!"

The being smacked its forehead, the sound echoing through the empty throne room.

"And you wonder why lord Yami did not promote you to the rank of Dark Lord... you are thicker than hardened rice paste!"

Slowly, the figure rose, getting off the throne as it stood up. Although it had no eyes, it stared at the apparently hyper-active human.

"It is lord Yami's will that I may be the ruler of all darkness should he and all of the other Dark Lords disappear. As such is the case, it is my duty, as the last Dark Lord, to take upon the mantle of absolute ruler of all darkness until lord Yami has returned. So please, for once, behave!"

The seemingly human being stared back at the faceless Dark Lord. For a moment, if one stared intently enough, one would notice that Daikonneri was maybe not as human as he seemed. His eyes were filled with an unnatural crimson glow and his fiery hair was a bit too red in color for it to be natural. Likewise, for what seemed to be a common young male human, the sheathed sword that he was carrying on his back seemed excessively gigantic, greater in length than even a great sword...

"F-f-f-fine." said Daikonneri, after a long moment. "I-i-if the b-b-boss wants i-i-it... then I-I-I'll let t-t-this s-s-s-s-SLIDE. B-B-BUT!- I-I-I'm w-w-w-watching you!"

The Dark Lord would have smiled but despite the fact that there was probably a humanoid under the black and purple robes, the being could not smile for it truly had no face underneath. So all it did was sit back on the throne and point a bony hand at the center of the room. The being pressed one of the weird, small metal buttons on the throne.

At this moment, the ceiling opened next to Daikonneri, dropping a few dozen of baskets filled with flowers on the floor. The Dark Lord sweatdropped while the minion turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"W-w-what?" asked the seemingly human being, confused.

"I am not yet familiar with lord Yami's mysterious magic. Let me try again..." explained slowly the Dark Lord before pressing another button.

This time, a large metallic panel slid out of the ceiling and within a moment, a strange sound was heard as a picture was displayed on the surface of the metal panel. The picture displayed was that of the Ark of Yamato, the legendary metallic ship built by the Moon Tribe, sailing through the skies and toward the Celestial Plain.

"W-w-wow! Lord Yami's m-m-magic is s-s-so amazing..." whispered Daikonneri in awe.

The Dark Lord stared coldly at the picture. He knew all too well who was aboard the metallic vessel and was heading toward their current location.

"Just as I had predicted. The accursed and the being from the Moon Tribe are currently heading toward our home. It seems that the gods have not yet accepted the painful truth. They have lost the war, the Celestial Plain is ours. Well, it is their loss."

The Dark Lord turned to his minion. "Daikonneri, here is my first order as regent of all darkness. Rally the forces of darkness and organize our defenses. I want the accursed and her little friend to have the best welcome party possible, if you can see what I mean..."

The minion blinked a few times before nodding. "Y-y-yes sir!"

The Dark Lord nodded, satisfied. This would do, indeed! Amaterasu might think that she is cool and all because she have beaten the other Dark Lords... but as powerful as they were, they were only but a fraction of the forces of darkness. He, Oujou-joumae, the Dark Lord ruling over the massive garrison of the Celestial Plain, shall greet the flea-bitten to her former home in a way she will definitely not forget anytime soon...

But then, an unpleasant sight came to the Dark Lord. Daikonneri had still not moved.

"Why haven't you begun with your task yet? Are you truly this stupid?"

The human-like being blinked a few times before crossing his arms. "I s-s-saw lord Yami u-u-use his mysterious m-m-magic to s-s-send orders to e-e-everyone at o-o-once. Why d-d-don't you do so n-n-now? W-w-won't it be f-f-faster?"

Oujou-joumae thanked lord Yami for not giving him a face for his face would have probably shown an expression of complete embarrassment at this moment. His cold shell finally breaking, he pointed angrily at the exit.

"Leave and perform your duty!... AT ONCE!"

The human rose an eyebrow as he reluctantly turned away. "I-I-I get it! N-n-no need to y-y-yell! I'm not s-s-stupid!... w-w-well, n-n-not THAT s-s-stupid anyway!"

Oujou-joumae sighed in relief as Daikonneri left the room. Finally! He wondered to himself how could lord Yami endure such stupidity. Yes, Daikonneri has much brute strength, probably enough to take on even mighty lord Orochi himself and live... but for such a strong being, Daikonneri sure has no sense of discipline and honor, always asking questions and failing to use his brain.

Oh well...

As Oujou-joumae was left to his own schemes, he stared down at the throne on which he sat and at the many, many buttons that covered it. Sure, every monster dreamt of sitting on lord Yami's throne and using its weird magic at least once but he had never truly thought that he would someday sit on this throne. The magic of lord Yami... simply by pushing buttons, he could unleash it! Indeed! Simply by pushing buttons, he could potentially issue commands to all demons in the land and remotely control the many, many devices that lord Yami had installed everywhere on that fateful day when they defeated the gods and conquered this land for themselves.

And well, although he knows that he should plan ahead and prepare a serie of "fun events" for Amaterasu to go through, or rather to die to, he felt the need to familiarize himself with the magic of the missing embodiment of all evil. After all, who knows how long lord Yami could go missing?

The Dark Lord eagerly pressed yet another button. This time, a trapdoor opened in front of him and a second later, a large metallic flower emerged, pointing toward him.

SQUIRT!

... and within the next seconds, Oujou-joumae found himself completely soaked after the giant flower squirted water at him.

Curses! That certainly isn't the button that give orders to all monsters in the land!

... and why would lord Yami put a button that make a metal flower squirt water at whoever is sitting on his throne anyway?... or make a ceiling trapdoor open, making flowers rain down?

... bah! He shouldn't ask himself questions! Lord Yami must have had his reasons to put such spells in this throne...

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Return of the Ark

**OFF:** Took a while but well, here is the first actual chapter of the story!

Enjoy!

* * *

**OKAMI**

**Sight of Black Sun**

* * *

Chapter 1

Return of the Ark

* * *

Neither of the two spoke, only the buzz-like purring of the Ark's engine broke the silence.

A blonde man clad in strange pink clothes stood before the navigation computer, his hands tapping a nearly endless number of buttons as he adjusted the Ark's settings and made sure that the advanced vessel kept its course. During the last few days, Waka had been busy reconfiguring the systems of the Ark of Yamato. Yami sure had done a number on the computers, reprogramming nearly everything to fit his needs and that of his servants. A check of the security systems did bring good news to the man and the strange lupine creature that stood at his side, though. It indeed seemed that when Amaterasu dealt the final blow to Yami's vile machine, blasting him through the hull and off the ship with the sheer amount of holy power she had channeled into the decisive attack, the explosion of holy energy had been sufficient to wash over all of the ship and vaporize most of Yami's forces that had remained on the ship. What little remained was quickly sealed using the security systems, large metal and energy gates keeping the various demons trapped while Amaterasu and Waka decided what to do with them.

"Well, ma chИrie. It seems like the Celestial Plain is finally in range!" announced the man as finally, on the massive monitor that stood before the two, the image of a floating island appeared.

The Celestial Plain... the land of the gods, the nexus of all elements and powers. The white-furred wolf turned its head upward as it looked at the image of her homeworld. Her memories had not yet returned but she did not need them to appreciate the sight. Light reflected off it, making it shine and it was all covered in lush green. It seemed so beautiful... yet, an ominous feeling reigned.

The gods lost the war against the demons centuries ago. That was a fact. So... why was the Celestial Plain seemingly intact?

beeep! beeep!

Waka's concentration was broken when he saw a red light flash on the console. On the screen, a message in the ancient language of the Moon Tribe flashed. Amaterasu looked to him, uneasy, not understanding what was going on. Not that Waka was sure what to make of what was going on either...

Upon pressing a button, the image of the Celestial Plain vanished to reveal a close-up of an aged, ugly monkey-like creature covered in crude leather armor and with a sheet of paper plastered over its grotesque face, hiding its deformed traits. Amaterasu clawed at the steel floor as she growled, as if preparing to attack. Waka motioned to her quickly, silently telling her to calm down.

What was going on? Why did an imp appear out of nowhere? Why was Waka telling her not to do anything? This made no sense... but well, considering the memories that begun flowing back recently about him, she knew that it would be wise to listen. The goddess thus stopped and sat there, staring at the image of the imp, ready to intervene if anything bad was to happen.

"Welcome back, master Yami! Our radars have detected your ship approaching. So... coming back home, heh? I know it's completely unnecessary but well, YOU insisted that I follow the protocol, even if it's you coming home so... yeah." said the imp's image before clearing its throat.

"Okay... here I go! This is the Celestial Plain's ground control. Please identify yourself, unknown vessel!"

Unpleasant memories begun to flood back into Waka's mind as the imp spoke. This kind of behavior was very much unlike that of normal imps. Most imps are extremely intolerant of orders and tended to have a low level of intelligence. An imp shouldn't be able to operate Moon Tribe technology let alone understand it. Yet, his eyes and ears were not deceiving him. An imp was operating some kind of Moon Tribe device and had calmly asked him to identify himself. Considering that the Celestial Plain was probably infested with monsters, it was in their interest to make sure that the monsters would not find out that what was aboard the Ark of Yamato was not their beloved ruler but their hated arch-nemesis.

Waka cleared his throat and then made his best impersonation of Yami. "This is the Ark of Yamato. Happy now? So let me land, at once!"

A few seconds passed and then, the imp spoke once more.

"Errrr... thanks, master... I guess. Still, you forgot the identification code!... and did you get a cold, master? Your voice is somewhat... different... and what a strange new body you have! It's all thin and human-like! And is that a new creation of yours, to your left? It sure looks like our hated enemy! A new experiment, master?"

In a way, that was expected. On another hand, they were in trouble.

"The communication systems are all defective so don't bother! Anyway, I'm getting your dumb code. Don't you dare cut off that transmission before I get it!"

A few button presses later, Waka begun searching through the database of the ship, hoping that Yami had stored it somewhere. Hopefully, he had written it down within the computer's memory, or else they were in trouble...

... as it happened, fate smiled upon them as Waka found a rather peculiar file. Smiling, the man from the moon noted it down mentally and a few button presses later, the image of the imp was back on the monitor.

"It's "0kAm1AMAT3Ra5U5uXX0r"! Can I land now or do you feel the urge to give me MORE reasons to blast you to bits?"

The imp seemed uneasy... "No! I mean yes! Yes, you can now land master! Forgive me! I'm just following your orders..."

And with that said, the transmission was finally cut. Waka sighed in relief, glad that this whole thing was over.

"Well, that was... interesting. Please do not be upset over the password, ma chИrie. It was not my idea." he said... only to find out that the white wolf had once again fallen asleep in the middle of an important event. He sweatdropped and pondered whether he should wake her up but decided against it.

After all, she knows nothing of this technology. All he needed to do was make sure the Ark reaches its destination so that the sun goddess might disembark and begin her second, more difficult quest.

With the transmission antics behind them, they both returned to their routine from the last few days, Waka operating the Ark while the goddess either slept or watched. The wolf's boredom did not last too long though as soon enough, strange sounds begun to echo across the entire ship before the sounds of the high-tech engine finally faded.

"Well, we have finally arrived!" announced the man.

Hearing those magic words, a surge went through the body of the wolf. The goddess jumped with incredible grace, her body making a fine backflip in mid-air before she landed with equally incredible grace on her four paws, a glint of intense determination glowing in her eyes, the white flames and red markings that covered her body glowing anew with the same power as before.

"I see that you're ready to make a sortie! Let me just check outside before I open the doors..." Amaterasu was told as the man begun to touch that weird metal thing again, making weird symbols dance on the monitor.

And then, at this moment, an image of the landscape just outside the Ark of Yamato was displayed.

What the two saw was almost beyond words. On one hand, they had expected to see the unnatural structures of black stone, the grotesque tower of bones, and the blanket of green, yellow, and blue demons that blanketed the small valley where the Ark had landed like an endless stream of roaring, sentient grass. Of all the memories that Amaterasu held and even beyond, within the memories she held before her demise a century ago when the time to fight Orochi came, she never had a memory of a place so completely conquered by evil. The number of demons was almost endless, the monstrous beings forming a thick crowd around the ship as they shouted and sung blasphemous compliments, going wild over the so-called return of their ruler and master.

But even more shocking was that although never had any of the two seen such a massive curse zone before, never had the two seen a curse zone that was so... so beautiful. Everywhere around the demons, the sky was illuminated in azure tones, the grass was tall and deep green, the rivers sparkled in ethereal shades, and the entire place was soaked in a light so powerful even Amaterasu didn't look up, feeling the light would blind her.

"Hmmm... well... that... might be a problem." commented Waka, although said comment was not truly useful. "I fear that words elude me. This... was the last thing I was expected, quite frankly."

How could all those demons survive, let alone thrive in such powerful light, surrounded by such intense life force was anyone's guess. Wasn't it a well-known fact that demons can't stand life force and intense sunrays? Then why are those all those demons standing there?

... And why is the air foul with the aura of darkness if the world is soaked in such light?

Unfortunately, there was not much time for such questions. The two had to get out to begin their quest and well, goddess or not, Amaterasu's body was of flesh and bone. Monster claws and curses tear apart said flesh. It was clear that if the wolf leapt outside with incredible grace and unleashed her divine power upon the unholy hordes... she would be turned into a delicious hot dog within seconds via a few thousands streams of flames directed at her poor, poor and oh-so vulnerable tail, which would probably hurt a little bit.

Still, she did not make it through all of Nippon and fought all of those Dark Lords only to be stopped by a bunch of cronies when she finally made it to the Celestial Plain! Oh heck no!

Gathering her wits, the goddess tilted her head left and let out a low whine instinctively as she begun to think. Waka blinked a few times as he saw the wolf act in such a strange way...

And then, after a moment, Amaterasu was seemingly startled, almost losing her footing. She quickly got on her hind legs, barking happily.

She had an idea.

* * *

The demon hordes went wild with excitement as the ruler of all darkness, the dreaded Yami, made his way out of the metal vessel. The large yellow sphere covered in red patterns rolled down the rainbow bridge and into the soil of the blessed land, the demons somehow managing to move out of the way, Yami causing a wave of sorts as he rolled through.

An old and wise black imp decorated in fancy assorted armor, a veteran of the old war, bowed down before the most evil of all beings.

"It is a delight for all of us to be able to be in your presence once more, lord Yami." said the demonic entity.

"Yes. Now, I know that all of you are thrilled to be in my presence but I have important business to attend to... so, mon cher, I will ask you and all those behind you to make way for the mighty Yami, the absolute ruler of darkness!"

The black imp bowed once more before his master before the demons quickly moved, forming a path out of the crowd. All of the demons watched as their master rolled toward the edge of a tall cliff... and rolled into the river at its base.

The massive metal sphere begun to spin wildly, the sound of a car engine going wild being heard as the sphere tried to climb the rock wall but only succeeding at soaking nearby demons wet as it spun in vain within the shallow river's bed.

The crowd stopped its cheers and an uneasy silence swept across all as the orb continued its attempts at rising.

"Hmmm... master?" asked the same black imp, growing uneasy and confused. "I do not want to question your actions but... what are you doing?"

Yami stopped spinning and there was a pause for several seconds...

"Well, I am trying to climb this cliff, as you can clearly see. I thought it was obvious!"

"Well, why don't you simply float over it then, master?" replied the imp, growing more and more confused.

Another pause...

"Because I was simply testing out a new technique! Well, I shall get going. And if any of you DARE say what happened here, your heads shall depart from your shoulders so quickly you'll never notice you lost them!"

Within a moment, a strange vertical line of paint appeared out of thin air in front of the dreaded Yami and a massive column of water rose from the river, pushing the large metal orb high into the skies until it reached the top of the cliff. Then, another line of paint, this one being a swirl of sorts, appeared and within moments, a strong gust of wind blew into Yami, pushing the orb off the water and on the edge of the cliff. Finally, the lord of all darkness rolled out of sight.

The demons underneath scratched their heads, wondering if their master had somehow slammed into a wall one too many times during his journey back to the Celestial Plain to think up of such a strange way to climb up a simple cliff. But well, it's not their place to question the absolute, almighty ruler of darkness is it?

* * *

"I can only wonder how Yami can even bear being in one of those horrible things for even one second. That was positively dreadful." commented Waka, every single body part hurting as the metallic orb opened like some kind of weird flower, finally allowing him and Amaterasu to get out of the cursed contraption.

Amaterasu herself whined loudly as she crawled out of there. Yes, it was to be expected that this weird spherical machine would not be very comfortable considering that it had not been designed to contain two passengers who both happened to be much larger than its intended lone passenger but still, that was awful! The two had been cramped into such a small space she was still not sure how they managed to fit in... If one could say that they managed to fit in at all, considering the awkward poses that they had to assume to get in. Amaterasu was sure that Waka's foot left a mark on her stomach and that he must have slammed his right elbow in her face at least a dozen times!

"Still, using one of Yami's spare robotic armor suits to get through this barrage of demons was quite the brilliant idea, Amaterasu... although I can only wonder just how much of Yami's body is actual flesh and blood considering how close to the original that spare suit was in terms of appearance and all this, but I digress. We have now arrived at the Celestial Plain proper. Feast your eyes upon our newest challenge, Amaterasu!"

And with that unpleasant moment behind her, the sun goddess could finally focus on her new objective. Having finally left the shores of the Celestial Plain, the vast plains, forests, and mountains of the holy land of the gods stood before the both of them. An endless expanse, beautiful beyond words... and also twisted and corrupted beyond recognition.

In a way, the sight that was before her was even more depressing and grotesque than a classical curse zone for the forces of darkness had not simply destroyed the Celestial Plain, they had somehow rebuilt and restored it to its former glory before stamping their mark deep into it. Worse than disfigured, the Celestial Plain had been assimilated into the darkness, having been turned into a mockery of its former self. The ethereal streams carried the curses of countless demons, the proud, healthy trees of the holy forests now coexisted with spiky, threatening cursed vines, and the mountains were covered with the structures of sticks, stones, and bones of the unholy hordes...

The Celestial Plain suffered a fate worse than being destroyed by the darkness. It was now one with the darkness. It was the demons' home now.

... And Amaterasu would not stand for this. The light that shines here is false and as long as even an ounce of life courses through her veins, she will never give in. She saved the mortals from a curse that turned all of Nippon into little more than a lifeless wasteland. She will, in the name of the fallen god race, reclaim the Celestial Plain and open its doors to a new generation of deities. The demons will not rule this world. That, she swears upon all that she believes in.

"Well, you seem determined."

The white wolf turned to her partner. The two of them stared for a while, nothing being said. Indeed, she was.

"Then I think it means that we shall part ways."

Indeed, it means that- wait a minute! Amaterasu blinked a few times before figuring out that she DID hear what thought she heard. Although she knew that her words only came off as barks and other dog and wolf-like sounds to most people, she knew that Waka could hear her and thus, she would give him a piece of her mind!

"We only reunited now and you are already leaving?"

"Yes, Amaterasu. You see, I realized that we have forgotten the Guardian Tree seed on the Ark. As you know, despite the idyllic sight, this entire land is one huge cursed zone. We will need something to magnify and cover this land with life-giving light... and I fear that your power alone will not suffice. So, I fear that you'll have to begin without me. I now have to find a way to get back on the Ark without being mauled by the little squad of enfants terribles surrounding it."

And before she could even shout out "Huh? HEY! WAIT!", the man had quickly jumped off the cliff and into the shadows.

The stubborn idiot! It looked like she was on her own... again.

Amaterasu turned toward the landscape once more. Although she hated to admit it, Waka was right. Although she is good at trashing demonic entities, her regenerative powers are not up to the level of a Guardian Tree and with such demonic power covering the land, her powers will not be enough... and well, someone must retrieve the seed.

How could they forget such an important detail?

... Oh well. It's not like she can't fare on her own... especially with her being at full power and wielding all of the Brush God Techniques. Besides, Yami, Orochi, Ninetails, and all of the other major Dark Lords are dead. What could go wrong?

All she had to do now is figure out where to go first and what to do once there... and well, she might have an idea of what to do next!

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Fish out of the Water

OFF: This new chapter is very short. Sorry for that. The next update will be coming this week, hopefully.

* * *

**OKAMI**

**Sight of Black Sun**

* * *

Chapter 2

Fish out of the water

* * *

The darkness was his home, his element, his mother and daughter. In it, he found strength and comfort... but not this time. As the darkness shrouded his mind, twisted images from the past came back to haunt him. Screams, cries for help, pain, despair... swirling pictures of beings both familiar and forgotten spun around him in a sickening vortex of suffering. Incoherent words echoed with a thunderous power through the twisted, liquid air, giant figures standing exterior to the vortex yet spinning with them. Countless needles, tubes, blades, and maces slammed into him from all sides, clawing at his flesh, tearing off his scales, infusing his blood, painting his form with poison, corrupting his form...

Then, thousands of needles and blades were sent slamming into his body, a legion of corpses floating lifelessly around him, their eyes devoid of life, their gazes fixated upon him and everything that was once good dying more and more in every pair of eyes...

... and then, he saw a certain pair of eyes and he screamed in pure, sheer, raw, undiluted terror and pain.

Reality had suddenly come into form as the nightmare finally ended. Yet, he was not at peace, far from it. He could still feel his heart, beating so quickly and with such strength that he felt the world spin. He breathed loudly and if it wasn't from the fact that gills doesn't make much noise, one would have been able to hear him panting. Pain bit through his scales as a cold as sharp as a blade pierced through the thin borders of his spherical container and slammed into him mercilessly. His vision was almost completely shrouded in white, the broken fishbowl burried halfway into snow.

It was then that he realized a few things.

First of all, he was alone. Second, the two imps that had offered to help him were gone.

... no, not gone.

Although patterns of white had begun to cover the glass covering everything as far as his eye could see, he could see the delicate, beautiful two flowers that grew in front of him... flowers that smelt of death to him for he knew what those meant.

He had not been abandonned by his allies, as incompetant as they were. He had been left to die here after his foes had found and killed the two imps during his sleep.

As the wind howled even through the glass and the water, Yami shivered.

For all of the knowledge he had, for all of the power contained within his cursed body, for all of the fear he could inspire when within the spherical machine, he was nothing but a defenseless, harmless fish out of it. His foes had probably never recognized him at all and left him there, thinking that his negative aura meant he would have been bad luck to them.

Visions and nightmares rose within his mind, laughter echoing within his memories. He had been doomed ever since Amaterasu knocked him out of the Ark. He will die here, burried in snow, forgotten by everyone, frozen to death in a land he hates and that hate him. A bear or some kind of stupid animal would probably never make the difference between him and another generic fish as it would remove any proof that Yami, the so-called feared emperor of all that is evil, ever existed.

"Who do you think you are? You don't even have the slightest glimpse of a power. The markings did not even make one of your fins grow in the slightest. You are nothing... but an ordinary fish."

Yami shook his head and tried to focus. If he allowed himself to give in to hallucinations, if he allowed his memory to paralyze him...

"Dishonor is a terrible thing. How can one live in total shame?... why didn't you kill yourself yet? You're just a coward... but then, you hide behind a barrier of opaque steel as huge as you are small, not daring to show even a scale of yourself."

"SHUT UP!" his words echoed through the freezing water although not leaving the water itself, the ice and snow blocking them before they could reach ears of any sort.

The nightmares, he knew them. Were they recent or had they been there for a much longer time?... as if he cared. As his body froze from the cold, he knew that he had to do something, anything and quickly. Yes, he could die here, he could finally end the humiliation and the dishonor...

... but that would please Amaterasu too much. It would be the easy way out. Weak as he may be, humilated as he might have been, dishonored as he might be... he united the chaotic, unorganised hordes of monsters and demons and formed the forces of darkness. What was once a collection of beings who didn't even know about a semblance of order worked together and against all odds, thanks to him, led a successful revolution within the Celestial Plain, overthrowing the gods and establishing a new dominion.

His glory is great, his actions are magnificient. All that he needs is to make it to somewhere civilized that won't turn him into sushi and get someone to make a new vessel for him. He will be able to continue from there.

... and the first step was to overwhelm the odds and survive here.

His crimson eyes squinted as the cold wanted him to shut them but he forced them open, staring through the veil of white. Kamui, the northern part of Nippon, was a desolate place covered in ice and snow. It was also a place covered in countless currents of freezing water. It would be difficult and painful but then, nothing came easy. Nothing came easy for him, anyway. Unlike Amaterasu, he is not given fancy powers and a fancy title and let loose to be praised and worshipped. Stupid gods who believe they deserve everything... THEY never have to do this. THEY never have to struggle to gain what they want. THEY never have to fight nail and teeth, without any weapons, against such odds. THEY live in pleasant divine plains covered in stinking flowers and loving animals, never having to deal with curses and things falling apart around them.

He's not going to die a mortal's death in the land of mortals. He's not going to be another number on a list for them. He did not go through centuries of war and suffering for him to die at his time of triumph!

... ha HA! That was exactly what he was looking for!

The opening in the ice is small but more than large enough. He knew that the chances of making it were slim... but if he couldn't conquer a stupid patch of ice, then how was he able to conquer the Celestial Plain?

Chasing away all pain within his body, Yami closed his eyes and focused, gathering his strength. Then, after breathing the freezing water deeply, he opened his eyes suddenly and flailed his fins with all of the strength he could muster, piercing through the surface of the water and jumping out of his fishbowl.

As the life-giving water stopped enveloping his scales, the dry vacuum of air slamming into his lungs, the dark being held his breath, his eyes focused on the crack leading to his salvation.

FLOP!

... and he fell before he could reach it, an overwhelming surge of cold washing over him as his scales hit the surface of the ice. Not only was he now without precious oxygen but he found out that the air was much, much colder than the water. He also found out that ice was even colder than the air, threatening to freeze in a moment.

Fear went through his mind as he flopped about, struggling to push himself into the water before either lack of oxygen or the cold did him in. His body was not made for him to move on land and as usual, his powers did not help a bit...

As he tumbled about, his eyes caught the opening. He closed his eyes as his fins pushed him off the edge, hoping for water below...

SPLASH!

The water outside of the fishbowl was even worse. Yami gasped in both relief and pain as the water gave him life at the cost of feeling like large knives piercing through every single point of his body. On one hand, he was in danger more than any time before it of freezing... but on another hand, he had, once more, succesfully taunted fate.

The lake and rivers under the ice and snow were vast and although he was still in pain from it all, a strange feeling begun to flow into the black fish's veins.

A strange sense of quiet euphoria.

For the first time in centuries, a strong current met his fins and a large, natural flow of water caressed his scales. For the first time since seemingly forever, the world lies before him and he can see it with his own two eyes.

If he would have been able to smile, a smirk would have appeared on the dark being's face. As he found himself no longer restrained, he found himself amazed at his own swimming. His body carried by a machine for such a long time, he had forgotten how it had felt to be free, how it had felt to carry his body with his own strength. A new feeling of life coursed through him and the cold didn't seem so terrible after all.

Although his mind would eventually bring him back to his plans, Yami, for the first time in centuries, felt alive and at home somewhere other than in the darkness...

All around him, the fish did not understand. Even the largest fish kept their distance from that newcomer from the sky. Their simple minds could not understand why the newcomer was in such a human-like fit of euphoria nor could they understand why he was envelopped in curses, the blue markings on its scales bleeding poison and evil within the clear water...

* * *

"Hmmm... so the others have fallen."

"You know very well why I called you. Still your tongue and be obedient." said Oujou-joumae, his voice carried through the power of Yami's mysterious magic.

The interlocutor didn't seem impressed though. It stood before the monitor, staring at the faceless image of the regent of all that is evil.

"Lord Oujou-joumae, last of the Dark Lords and regent of darkness... the tales of your failures during the great war might have been forgotten by most of us but many, such as myself, remember why the great Yami gave you the lowest rank despite your power and role."

"Silence! You know very well that there is only one real reason why you exist and why you are not being destroyed where you stand! Stop tempting fate!" barked the faceless being, frustration getting through his usual monotone tone.

But he was ignored, the being to whom he was talking turning away from him.

"Amaterasu... she will come here first. It is fate. I know she is coming and I await her. I am not afraid." said the being to itself. "I know my place and I know that I am not to question you. Fate has always been on our side, even today it is on our side. Although Amaterasu might have been able to foil our initial invasion of the mortal world, it was only a lucky shot. We were ill-prepared, the Ark crashing down and Lord Orochi falling without any of his usual support. Most of our invasion was improvised giving our enemy the chance to prepare herself and foil us."

She turned back to the monitor.

"... but not this time. This is our realm, our home. It is an elaborate trap where our power shine the brightest. It is here that Amaterasu shall learn the true power of the demons... as well as how we managed to kill the gods, those who were meant to be immortal!"

A smirk came to the being.

"Lord Oujou-moujae... I will not fail you. By my hand, the last of the gods shall perish."

And at this moment, the monitor's display changed, showing the image of a white wolf. She was entering a building of some sorts... and the being knew very well what building it was. Its smirk grew wider.

"The time of judgement has arrived."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Amaterasu's fate

**OFF**: I have been looking forward to writing this chapter. It's one of the biggest plot twists in the story and probably what will send most of the story going forward from this point on.

Hope you'll like it! Enjoy!

* * *

**OKAMI**

**Sight of Black Sun**

* * *

Chapter 4

Amaterasu's fate

* * *

Everything was quiet, too quiet.

Sure, there was this horde of monsters as vast as the horizon back at the landing spot but excluding that, the white wolf had not seen even the slightest hint of a monster. Yes, she did see a few movements sometimes and she had this strange feeling that she was observed all the time but excluding this feeling of unease, it seemed that the forces of darkness were making no effort in stopping her.

Did they knew what she was trying to do? Did they knew that she was returning to her home, the Tower of Light, and would summon the power of the sun and unleash righteous death upon them all?

... and why is her tower intact for the matter? She had expected it to be twisted into a vile structure by the forces of evil, for monsters to crawl its holy halls and claim it as their home... but it was completely intact, the delicate stone walls not showing a single hint of damage or curse.

In fact, it looked even better than a brief memory of it, way back. Back then, just like right now, she didn't care much for protocol and other duties and as such, never hanged near her oversized home enough to keep it sufficiently clean. Yet, there was not a single dust bunny in the halls, as if someone was living here and making a better job than her at keeping it in shape.

... but who?

... and most importantly, why?

It was giving her the creeps when she thought about it. And well, it brought an important point to her. The Celestials perished, devoured by the monsters.

... but how? Gods are supposed to be immortals! How did every last one of them perished? As she walked the plains, she had expected to find survivors of some kind, maybe even a resistance against the powers of darkness but she found nothing. No life as far as the eye can see, only the shadows of the enemy inhabiting the land.

The white wolf reached the gigantic golden door at long last. The climb had been long, boring, and gave her the creeps due to how uneventful it was but at long last, she was before it. The last door, the door to the tower's roof. It was here that her power would shine.

... well, that was easy. Too easy, in fact. But well, who is she to whine? It's not as if she had expected much resistance with Yami and all of his main minions dead.

Slowly, the humongous panel slid into the wall and Amaterasu stepped outside...

* * *

Climbing the golden stairs, Amaterasu finally stepped on the roof of the gigantic tower. As the wolf looked carefully at her symbol that was carved carefully into the stone, a loud rumbling sound could be heard behind her.

Ammy spun around instantly only to see the stairs sliding into the tower, blocking the way back into the tower.

What? Why?

"So... we finally meet."

The white wolf spun back, getting in position as a growl escaped her throat. She had been tricked, it was a trap! But almost instantly, she stopped, her eyes widening, almost falling down from the surprise at what she saw.

At the opposite side of the roof, a figure stood. It was a human woman with a completely unnatural beauty. She had white, long flowing hair, crimson eyes, and she was wearing the most elaborate kimono one could imagine, a kimono white as snow that covered skin almost as white... a kimono covered in unmistakable red markings, familiar markings of the same color on the back of her delicate hands and on her forehead.

Those markings were familiar to Amaterasu and so was that human form...

... for it was her human form.

"Welcome, wolf. My name is... Okami Amaterasu." said the human, stepping forward. "Judging by your expression, you obviously did not expect to find me here, am I not right?"

The woman paused, allowing the words to sink in and then, she continued.

"By now, you must have noticed the state of the Celestial Plain, how empty it is." the other Amaterasu turned to the horizon and motionned toward the wolf below. "As far as the eye can see, no trace of the gods who used to inhabit this place. But why is it so? Aren't the gods immortal? Shouldn't they be reborn if killed? How can one destroy one who is eternal?"

An evil smirk came to her face and slowly, a sinister laughter filled the air. The fact that it was Ammy's only made it creepier. The wolf never knew that her own laughter could be so chilling...

"The forces of darkness are different from not just the monsters, other one. Their origin go back to the far past, before even what your memories can reach. They were born out of defiance with only one goal..." she turned back to face Ammy. "... to discover the true nature of the gods, the universe, and reach a state of purity."

She pointed at Ammy. "You are the sun goddess, a deity... but most importantly, a member of the specie known as "gods". Mortals look up to you and do not question your nature, obeying you and accepting your influence over the sun and the light. This is why they are mortals, Ammy. Not because their forms are temporary... but because they accept to be inferior. You see, everything has an origin and an end... even the gods."

Finally managing to get ahold of herself, Amaterasu got back into position and growled. "Enough! What kind of demon are you, imposter?"

The cold laugh was heard again. It went through Amaterasu's skin and sent chills down her spine, almost making her lose her concentration.

"You are so simple. It is tragic that even you, a genuine "god" does not know the truth." said the other Ammy. "Fact is... what is important is not the flesh, my dear other. It is not even the soul. It is... this."

Suddenly, Ammy saw the most incredible and, at the same time, vile of sights. An orb of pure light that was visible within the other one for a moment... it was so beautiful yet its significance struck her with disgust and fear.

"Power, other one. It's all that matters, it's all that makes you what you are. You are the sun goddess ultimately not because of your happy-go-lucky personality, memories, or your furry form... but because of the power that course your veins. If it is removed, you are nothing more than a white wolf with weird markings... and thus, can be killed like any other being."

The human figure closed her eyes, her smile becoming serene. "This was Yami's strategy, my other one. What he did was not curse the world and hope the gods remained silent. What he did was much more subtle, much more clever. What he did... was replacing them. Yami is nothing like the weak gods. His power is true and in the eyes of fate, he proven himself, his power erasing all of them from existence. And now... only you remain."

Ammy stepped forward, growling deeply. "Enough! I heard enough! You're nothing but a cheap doppelganger created by those freaks!"

The other one smirked anew, her gaze becoming... vicious and mocking. "You who fail to understand, you who is locked in her false, fleeting beliefs... I am not a doppelganger of Amaterasu. I... AM... Amaterasu!"

Slowly, the woman reached into her Kimono and took out a familiar disc. A red disc that was covered with flames glowing in the colors of the rainbow. The exact same disc as Ammy was carrying... the divine instrument, the Solar Flare.

"... and there can be only one Amaterasu. I fear... that you will have to disappear."

Ammy let out a roar-like bark, rage filling her heart. How dare that being spew out such non-sense?! As if she was going to roll over and let the forces of darkness replace her with such a cheap copy! That was the last straw, the last insult they thrown at her! She did not go through so much for this to happen! Oh no, she's going to beat up that creep and kick every last monster out of her home!

Kicking into the stone floor, the white wolf charged forward, decided to tear that smile off that fake's face! Her charge was incredibly fast and graceful, the wolf leaving a trail of bright white flames behind her. Then, just as she leaped and gripped into the handle of the Solar Flare with her teeth, about to slam it into the fake's face with great force, the imposter leaped with impossible speed.

Her eyes widened and she lost her grip on the Solar Flare as a disc sharper than anything that had ever struck her before slammed into her neck with improbable force and speed, knocking her out in mid-air and inflicted deep burns upon her as the holy weapon's flames bit harshly into her flesh and fur.

Slamming into the ground, landing on her side with a total lack of grace, Ammy quickly shrugged off the pain despite how surprisingly incredible it was. Most importantly, she chased off her confusion regarding the fact that the power that had coursed her own for a moment as she was struck truly was her own holy power and not an unholy copied power.

Getting back on her feet and turning to face her opponent, Ammy charged again, this time aiming to knock the foe off-balance. But as the Solar Flare was swung, it only struck air... and a second later, Ammy let out a loud, pain-filled yelp as the human Amaterasu landed on her back, crushing her against the floor.

Jumping off her and landing in front of her anew, the imposter grinned in a confident way. Getting back on her feet once more, Amaterasu swung her head as she growled menacingly, wiping the blood off her face and preparing to strike anew.

She charged once more and as she predicted, she struck only air. But this time, the wolf was ready. Instantly, divine ink was spilled in mid-air, her tail swinging as she painted with incredible speed and precision.

FWOOSH!

The imposter stopped in mid-air, time slowed down to a crawl. Ammy prepared herself to intercept the foe when she noticed that while she held the Solar Flare with one hand, she was pointing behind her with the other. Why would she do that?

The wolf turned to find herself face-to-face with a gigantic, lit up Cherry Bomb. She barely had the time to swear internally that a deafening explosion was heard. The wolf cringed as her white fur was charred by the explosion, sending her flying. She landed on her back, sent rolling a few feet from the force of the explosion.

Not only was that fake like her physically but she had the exact same powers as she had...

Getting up, the wolf growled. So, she want to play it this way? Fine! Let's see how she do if she stack up effects!

Dipping her tail in divine ink, Amaterasu unleashed her wrath. Instantly, two Cherry Bombs appeared to the sides of the enemy while one was created in mid-air, right above her. Time was slowed down once more and in an instant, Amaterasu summoned divine wind to knock the foe off-balance. Then, she unleashed her power, making a large stream of flames go from her divine instrument to the Cherry Bombs and to the foe, filling the arena with a flood of fire.

Surely the enemy will not dodge THAT, isn't it?

As the last of the divine ink was spent, time begun to flow and the trap was unleashed. As expected, a screen of smoke rose, covering the wolf's sight as the many explosions rocked the roof. Now, all she have to do is see if the foe had resisted and prepare to...

BAM!

Ammy's eyes widened as she rose, the woman right in front of her, her fist slamming squarely into her stomach, breaking something inside and making blood fill her mouth.

SLAM!

The human made a backflip, her feet striking the bottom of Ammy's skull and making her spin.

FWOOSH!

The human took out a brush and slowed time to a crawl before taking it away and grabbing into her own Solar Flare...

CRACK!

The disc was swung as Ammy spun out of control, striking the precious equipment on her back. The disc cut straight through Ammy's precious Astral Pooch, the tool that prevented her from dying should lethal injuries be inflicted upon her...

BAAAM!

Then finally, the other Ammy slammed the Solar Flare into her lower jaw, sending the wolf flying.

Pain raked through her whole body. What was that? She had barely been able to process anything except for the pain and the fact that...

CRAAACK!

Time froze.

Amaterasu's lupine eyes stood wide open as a pain unlike anything she had ever felt slammed into her. It was... different from anything she had ever felt before. It was as if, suddenly, everything she had ever known did not matter anymore, as if all of her injuries had disappeared. The only thing that was in her mind was a silent, cold horror that invaded all of her mind. Cold... so cold... and so straining.

Amaterasu had landed on her head at an odd angle... instantly twisting her neck into an unnatural angle. Her neck had been broken upon impact.

It was a lethal hit...

Her body slumping down, the goddess losing all control of herself, she found herself on her back, unable to move herself. Her form shook furiously as a weird feeling, like if she plunged in freezing water at the same as knives were plunged into her flesh, invaded her. Her breathing was fast, ragged, desesperate. The whole world was a blur, seeing only a vague shape, her foe, and an endless sea of red underneath, her blood pouring out of her body via the gapping maw that used to be her neck...

"And so... the last of the gods fall."

She barely heard the words and yet, they still reached her mind and echoed as clearly as they could ever have.

She... she can't die here. She can't die now. She didn't make it so far only to be killed by a fake here. It can't be... She must get up... she must fight... she must... she must...

"Relax, Amaterasu. Don't give in to the anguish... The pain will leave you and so will the anguish. You will be at peace..." there was a strange feel in the enemy's voice. Was that... pity?

She doesn't want her pity! She doesn't want to be at peace! She want to get up! She... she... her body hurts... she's tired... Why aren't her limbs moving? She gasped more and more but the air was escaping through her twisted neck, denying her the life-giving oxygen she needed.

Darkness begun to rise. She could feel its tendrils, the curse, the cold power. Her vision begun to fade and strange feeling invaded her mind. A feeling of calmness, of peace, of serenity. She felt... cold, relaxed. She stopped moving, the darkness wrapping itself around in a way unlike it had in the past. It was not the curse of the past, a painful, burning feeling. It was... a cold embrace, almost like a loving hug. It was if... the darkness was welcoming her.

And then, the full meaning of the other's words finally dawned upon her.

It was not like last time. She wouldn't turn to stone or anything like that. She was dying. She was going to die and this time, for real.

Fate had decided itself and as she lost that battle, she lost the title of sun goddess. Her enemy, now the true Amaterasu, glowed in pure divine light as the light left her, leaving only darkness.

As the divine light left the body of Amaterasu, the red disc's flames faded and the markings dulled, revealing themselves to be nothing but generic gashes in her body filled with red ink. The white tendrils of light had faded and her once snow white fur was revealed in all of its pathetic glory, revealing that her fur was a very normal, cream-like shade of white in truth...

In death, the true, humiliating form of Amaterasu was shown. Underneath the power of the sun goddess was a young, relatively small and delicate female white wolf, her body covered in deep cuts that housed the ink that made up her markings. The mortal soul underneath the immortal power...

At this moment, memories begun to flood into her mind. She remembered everything she had experienced since the dawn of time. Her life on the Celestial Plain, the emergence of demons, her first meeting with Waka, the great war... everything.

The more memories flooded into her mind, the more her sadness and regret grew. She did not want to die! She did not want to disappear! She's Okami Amaterasu, not that... that whench! So many beings depend on her and she... she want to see them again! Waka and Issun... only two of the countless people she want to see again, to play with, to live with!

The darkness gripped into her, squeezing the light out of her. The world had already faded from her view as life was denied to her. Cold, peaceful sleep came to her, denying her the world for all eternity.

Denial racked through her mind. Her soul was tormented and soon enough, visions of the demons came to her.

Yami, Orochi, Ninetails, Lechku, Nechku... and the myriad of demons serving under them.

It was all their fault. It was their doing. The demons and their curses, the evil they spread. They had destroyed her life and everyone else's.

Her sadness and regret soured, turning to resentment and rage...

Every last of them had wasted the lives of so many, causing so much pain and destruction. The mortals, sure, did mistakes... but the demons actively sought the destruction of all that is good, spreading those stupid curses all over the place and never caring for the consequences. They were not worthy of respect. She would never forgive them, never. And now... they did this to her?

With the divine light fading, her resentment and rage begun to grow. The other Amaterasu blinked a few times. The sun behind her begun to darken...

The vision of the demons swirled in her mind, all of them laughing at her, mocking her, taunting her. She was dying and them, not. Every last of them had bound itself to the world, was simply sealed. They laughed at her, their souls proclaiming to her their superiority. Who was alive and who was dead right now, heh? She's not alive right now, that's for sure!

Sealing them back is too good for them! She don't care anymore! They're not deserving it! This horrible fate which they inflicted upon all of her people and now upon her... unforgivable! She hate them! DESPISE THEM!

The foul stench of dark, cursed power invaded the air. An air of damnation surrounded the body of Amaterasu as the darkness seeped into her body through every single opening it could find.

She will not disappear. She will destroy those demons, whatever the cost might be. She no longer care. She just want them to die, to suffer, to be destroyed! She wants to see pain, despair, suffering in their eyes! She will inflict upon them what they inflicted upon her, she demand vengeance! All of them. EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!

And then, Amaterasu sprung back on her legs and screamed, her eyes filled with darkness. The last of her divine light burst out of her body, her lupine form shattering into pieces as the last of the holy power left her. Her soul exploded, the shards flying out and melting into nothingness.

The fallen goddess, now a part of the legions of the damned, howled loudly, her kindness replaced with only vengeful hatred. Her once divine form had been twisted, her fur black as night and the markings the same icy color as that of Yami's.

Then, its strength failing, the demon born out of Amaterasu's resentment fainted, its body dropping on the floor, not a single hint of strength left in it...

* * *

"Hey. Hey. Hello?"

A faint protest escaped her throat but feeling something poke at her, it seemed that whoever it was, it would not leave her in peace.

She opened her eyes to see a black armored figure with a ridiculous paper mask on its face.

"Ha, finally! Looks like it's alive after all! Come with me."

The creature begun to walk away.

... where is she? It seems like some kind of weird black place, the surfaces as smooth as metal. Everywhere around her, she could see strange glass tubes containing the obviously lifeless forms of creatures. Most of these were demons but she could also see weird humanoid figures. What those were? Hmm... she can't remember. They're familiar, though.

"Hey. What's the matter? Come on!" said the Imp, noticing that she was not following.

Growling a bit to herself in annoyance, she reluctantly turned and followed. How annoying! Who is that being? Who do he think he is?

After following the imp for a short while, she made it in front of a few monsters. Some kind of crow thing in ridiculous orange clothes, a weasel-like weirdo carrying a huge sickle, and a wheel that somehow has eyes and a mouth.

"What? Another newcomer?" said the weasel, raising an eyebrow at the sight of her.

A glare from the Imp caused the weasel to become silent. Then, it begun to speak.

"Members of the Deathlock Squad, say hello to the newest member of our little group!" announced the imp. In response, the demons begun to greet her.

... Deathlock Squad? Newcomer?

The imp turned to her. "Heh, you seem confused enough. Well, I got some stuff to do in the lab. I'll let your new partners give you the explanation."

And with that said, the black imp walked away, leaving her everybit as confused as before. What's the deal with that? Where is she? Who are they? How did she got here?

"So... how does it feel to be alive? Pretty weird experience, heh?" that was the wheel, obviously speaking to her. She rose an eyebrow.

"Do you have a name, newcomer?" the weasel thing.

Hmph! Her name? Easy! It's...

... it's...

... err... it is...

What? How come she can remember? It's really an obvious thing! How could she forget her own name, her the great... the great... the... err... Who is she? She can't even remember who she is!

A short growl escaped her, hinting at them that she did not know. The three turned to each others before turning back to her.

"I see. Well, you were made of wolf parts and it seems like you are extremely similar to the hated nemesis, the sun goddess Amaterasu. What about calling you Wamaterasu?" said the crow.

Amaterasu... that name was familiar. Something stirred inside of her and she felt anger rise. She did not know why but the mention of that name was making her feel awful. Sadness... but most importantly, a whole lot of anger. She did not know why the name was enraging her so.

... Wamaterasu? That name... hmmm...

"Wamaterasu... I think I'll take it."

The three looked at each others, satisfied before turning back to Wamaterasu.

"Well then, welcome to the world, Wamaterasu!"

The demoness was not sure if it really was a good thing. She turned away from them and saw a window nearby. A feeling of emptiness and regret filled her mind as she saw the weak ray of sunlight that got through, piercing through the thick darkness of the room. She did not know why she felt as such or why a solitary tear escaped one of her eyes at this moment.

There was something important she had to do, there were people she needed to meet.

She feel so confused...

... what happened? Where is she? Why is she here? Who is she?

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
